Jorge Martin stunned title rival Marc Marquez by securing pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, bouncing back from a disappointing Friday practice. The Aprilia rider, who was only eighth fastest in FP2, set a new Motegi pole record with a lap of 1m42.371s in Q2.
Marquez had held provisional pole after the first runs but couldn't improve on his second attempt, which included a trip through the gravel at Turn 3. The Ducati rider finished 0.110s adrift.
The battle for front-row spots was intense. Pedro Acosta (KTM) used Marco Bezzecchi as a reference to snatch third, demoting the Italian to fourth. Alex Marquez completed the top five, just 0.175s behind Martin.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, and Raul Fernandez rounded out the top eight. Fernandez, who advanced from Q1, impressed, while his Trackhouse Aprilia teammate Ai Ogura also made it into Q2 and qualified 11th.
Yellow flags caused by Brad Binder's crash at Turns 12-13-14 nearly compromised Fernandez in Q1, but he had enough time to go again and secure his spot. Defending Motegi winner Pecco Bagnaia failed to make it out of Q1 and will start from the fifth row, a disappointing result for the Ducati star.
Somkiat Chantra, substituting for Joan Mir at the factory Honda team, produced a stunning performance to reach Q2 and qualify 15th, outqualifying teammate Luca Marini. It was his best qualifying result in MotoGP. Fermin Aldeguer had a disappointing run to 18th, only ahead of Maverick Vinales and the three Yamahas.
With this result, Martin strengthens his championship lead, but Marquez and Bezzecchi remain within striking distance. Sunday's race promises to be a thriller with such small margins at the front.
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Marco Bezzecchi memimpin 1-2 Aprilia di latihan bebas terakhir MotoGP Jepang. Jorge Martin kedua, Pedro Acosta ketiga. Sesi dihentikan bendera merah.
Kualifikasi MotoGP Jepang 2026 dimulai pukul 03:50 dini hari. Bagnaia dan Ogura harus berjuang dari Q1, sementara Marquez waspadai aspal baru Motegi.
Ai Ogura was forced to stop at Turn 1 after his Aprilia began pouring smoke at Motegi, prompting Race Direction to bring out the red flag.
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